INDIANAPOLIS – With too many questions surrounding the expected departure of Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann, the Indiana Democratic Party today handed Governor Mike Pence an open records request with the hopes that Hoosiers can see the true relationship Mike Pence and Sue Ellspermann had at the Statehouse.
In the letter by Drew Anderson, communications director for the Indiana Democratic Party, the IDP specifically asked for all communication between the politicians and their offices surrounding the tumultuous RFRA period this spring – when Mike Pence threw Indiana into a $250 million economic panic.
“For the sake of transparency and for the fairness of all Hoosiers, Governor Mike Pence and his office should release all communication between Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann and her office during the RFRA period this spring and the Ivy Tech news last week,” said Drew Anderson, communications director for the Indiana Democratic Party. “It’s a fact Sue Ellspermann was against Mike Pence’s RFRA, which put Indiana’s ‘Hoosier Hospitality’ reputation in jeopardy. And if RFRA was the sole reason for Ellspermann’s wish to leave the Statehouse, it could foreshadow Pence’s stance on LGBT rights. Hoosiers should expect Mike Pence to double down on his out of touch ideology and go against the call for across the board protections for the LGBT community.”
While it’s very unusual for a qualified and well-respected Republican to leave the position of Lieutenant Governor – this news being made public precipitated the Indiana Democratic Party asking for complete transparency on this issue. It is our hope that Mike Pence expedites this request and is forthcoming with the hardworking Hoosiers who expect him to place their overall well-being ahead of party ideology.
